Hen s nest or coop



(No Model.) P. CULP.

HEN'S NEST OR COOP.

,828. Patented Aug. 13, 1889.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER GULF, OF GARRETT COUNTY, MARYLAND.

Hews NEST OR COOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,828, dated August 13, 1889.

Application filed March 12, 1889. Serial No. 302,997. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER CULP, a citizen of the United States, residing in the county of Garrett and State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hens Nests or Coops, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in hens nests or coops for hatching purposes; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section showing the severalparts in the position they assume after the hen has left the nest. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the dog for supporting the sliding door and the devices for operating said dog so as to lower the door.

The nest or coop A is provided with closed sides and has platforms B extending from its ends. At one end of the coop I provide the outwardly-swinging door O, having an opening D in its lower portion, and provided with an upwardly-projecting tongue E above its hinge or pivot. On the upper side of the coop I erect the standards F, between which the tongue E plays, and which have a-pulley G journaled between their upper ends, as shown. At the opposite end of the coop or nest I erect the standards H H, which are longitudinally slotted, and between these standards I mount the sliding door I, which is provided with the horizontal cleats J, the ends of which project beyond the edge of the door and enter the slots of the standards, so as to move therein and thereby guide the door. One end of the lower cleat J is projected beyond the standard, as shown at K, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth. On the upper side of the coop,between the standards H H, I erect the bearing plate or standard L, having a pulley M at its upper end, as shown, and a cord N, passing over the pulleys M and G, connects the doors I and 0.

Within the coop or nest and adjacent to the sliding door I, I mount the rock-shaft O, and on this rock-shaft, near one end of the same, I

1 secure the dog I, the u er end of which pro j eots into the path of the extended end K of the lower cleat of the sliding door. A lever or levers Q is secured to the rock-shaft O and extends longitudinally of the coop beneath the same, and has its outer end provided with a weight R, which is sufficiently heavy to hold the outer end of the said lever normally 10wered, and thereby turn the rock-shaft so as to throw the dog outward, but at the same time is so light that it will be overbalanced by the weight of the hen on the step S, secured to the inner end of the lever Q. The said step S extends transversely across the coop and is so arranged as to normally form a part of the floor of the coop.

The construction and arrangement of the parts of inydevice being thus made known, it is thought that its operation will be readily understood. hen it is desired to release the hen in the coop, the door 0 is swung upward, so as to allow the hen to leave the coop. The

' end of the cord N is secured to the tongue E of the swinging door, so that as the said swinging door is raised and the tongue E thereby thrown downward the said cord will be drawn upon, so as to raise the sliding door, when the upper end of the dog P will slip under the projecting end K of the lower cleat of the said door and thereby hold the said door in its elevated position. When the hen has left the coop, the door'Ois lowered and will be prevented from swinging inward by reason of its side edges contacting with the sides of the door-opening. The door O being thus closed and the sliding door raised or opened, when the hen enters the coop she must necessarily enter below the sliding door, and after entering the coop will walk upon the step S and thereby depress the inner end of the lever Q, consequently rotating the rock-shaft 0 so as to draw the dog P inward from below the cleat of the sliding door, and thereby allow the said door to fall by its own weight. Should the hen wish to leave the nest she will naturally attempt to leave through the place where light enters the nest, which is through the opening D in the door 0. This opening, however, is only large enough to admit the head and neck of the hen, so that as the hen leaves the coop she will raise the said door and thereby elevate the sliding door, as before stated.

From the foregoing description it .will be seen that I have provided a very simple coop which will admit only one hen at a time, and will therefore be found to be of great benefit when hens are hatching, as it prevents the coop becoming crowded and the setting hen being driven from the nest and the eggs broken.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination, with the coop, of the swinging door at one end of the same, the slidingdoor at the other end thereof, the cord conneeting the two doors, and the dog adapted to support the sliding door in an elevated position, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the coop, of an ontwardly-swinging door at one end, a sliding door at the other end, a cord connecting the two doors,whereby when the swinging door is open the sliding door will be raised, the dog adapted to support the sliding door in its elevated position, and a vibrating lever eontrolling the said dog, so as to support and release the sliding door, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the coop, of the ontwardly-swinging door at one end having the tongue E, the sliding door at the opposite end of the coop having a cleat provided with a projecting end K, the cord connecting the sliding door with the tongue E of the swinging door, the dog adapted to engage the projecting cleat K, and a lever controlling the said dog, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the coop, of the standards F at one end of the same, the pulley G, mounted between the upper ends of said standards, the bearing-plate L at the opposite end of the coop, the pulley M, mounted on said bearing-plate, the swinging door having the tongue E playing between the standards F, the standards II II, the sliding door mounted between and guided by said standards and having a cleat provided with a projeeting end K, the cord passing over the pnlleys G M and having its opposite ends secured to the sliding door and the end of the tongue E, the dog entering the path 01": the projecting end K of the cleat secured to the sliding door, and the vibrating lever eontrolling the said dog and provided with a weight at one end and a step at the other end,as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

PETER CULP.

Witnesses:

JOHN RUCKMAN, .Lxcon SNYDER. 

